Grissom, minus Microscope
by blarghj
Summary: Grissom finally "pulls his head out of that microscope" when Catherine humiliates him in front of Sara. GS, and a response to the Unbound Challenge. First and last lines are provided. Sorry about the lame title.


**Author's Notes: **This is my second story on and my first Unbound Challenge response. I do not own these characters.

Does anyone else find that the hardest part about writing a fic is coming up with a title?

* * *

**"What is that supposed to be?" she asked with a grimace.**

Grissom was sitting before the table, and, as usual, he was performing an experiment.

"You mean this?" Grissom replied, nodding towards the moldy-looking, greenish-brown mass in a petri dish he was holding and looking at intently, his hands occupied by the eyedropper and petri dish.

"Yes, of course I mean that," Sara replied.

Grissom chuckled. "You probably won't like it much. It's a piece of meat that I'm letting decompose under different conditions to establish a time frame."

"You're right I don't like it," Sara replied, wrinkling her nose. "Even if it wasn't meat, I still wouldn't want to touch it."

"Well," Grissom said, "Well, I'll tell you the details. Bruce Marcus, missing since two days ago, was sitting here eating a bologna sandwich. An intruder broke the window and entered. The intruder shot Marcus, and took the body. We found a bullet embedded in the wall, so it was a through-and-through. The DNA matches Marcus, based on a toothbrush taken from the house."

"Wow. So you're trying to establish a time frame by looking at the stage of the meat in the homicide, and comparing it to the meat that's rotting?"

"Yes." Grissom replied. "Can you check on that hair I sent to Greg for me?"

"Sure."

A minute after she left, Catherine walked into the room. "Grissom, what the hell is that?"

Grissom sighed. He would have to explain the experiment to Catherine now. "Catherine, it's rotting meat. If I have to explain this to everybody who walks by, I'm never going to get this done. Sorry."

"Okay," she said, holding up her hands in surrender, "but you know, it's my case too. How come you explained it to Sara, not me, and she's not even on the case?"

Grissom didn't have an explanation for that. He thought, _"Oh no. Not this again."_

"Speaking of Sara, it's obvious that you two are attracted to each other. Is that why you let her waste your time in your office while you explained it to her?"

Grissom, annoyed, responded, "Don't you have a job to do, besides annoying me about my attraction to Sara?"

Catherine grinned at him.

Grissom realized he had just admitted what Catherine had speculated. "I meant--"

"I know what you meant, Grissom. When are you going to ask her out?"

Grissom was flustered. It didn't help that Sara turned up at the door, looking jealous.

"Ask out whom?"

Catherine, seizing the moment, replied with a smile, "You, of course."

Grissom grew red, while Sara tried to hide her grin.

"Sara, out. Catherine, see me in my office. Now. The rotten meat will have to wait." Grissom looked furious.

* * *

Catherine followed Grissom to his office. 

While feebly attempting to make himself look more superior, Grissom said, "Why did you just humiliate me in front of Sara?"

Catherine's grin remained firmly plastered to her face. She knew that while Grissom might appear angry, he was actually rather pleased that Catherine thought Sara was attracted to her. Catherine trusted her skill of reading people. "Well, one of you had to find out eventually. Don't you realize that everyone in this lab is waiting for you to ask her out? It's obvious that you have feelings for each other. You two are the only people who don't see it."

Grissom had to admit she was right. He had convinced himself that there was no way Sara felt the same way about him as he did about her. He realized it was just a way of protecting himself if he got turned down.

Catherine's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "You're going to miss your chance, Grissom. As well as let down most of the lab. Except Greg of course," she said, chuckling at the last bit.

Grissom had to smile at this. Catherine was forgiven, for the moment.

"So, how do you suggest I go about asking her out? What if she says no?"

Catherine was pleased. Grissom was finally "pulling his head out of that microscope."

"To answer your first question," she said, "Just go up to her, talk to her, and ask her out. It should be simple. To answer your second question, she won't. Trust me, she won't."

Grissom didn't trust Catherine this time. "Okay, I'll try, but when should I do it?"

"Do it now. Before you leave."

Grissom was surprised. "Now. Right."

He walked towards the door, and was surprised to see Sara already walking towards the door to the parking lot. Uncharacteristically early, considering she almost never left more than an hour later than scheduled.

Grissom, while making up the lines he would say, intercepted her on her way to the door. Immediately, he forgot the lines he had planned.

"Hey."

Sara, feeling hopeful after overhearing Grissom's conversation with Catherine, responded with a simple "Hey yourself."

"Uh, Sara, I was wondering if I could take you to dinner some time."

Smiling, Sara said, "Of course. When do you want to go?"

Both happy that it had gone smoothly, they decided when and where they were going. Still a bit uncomfortable, they made small talk until they got to the parking lot. "I hear there are going to be some blackouts in this area. Too many people using air conditioners, because of the heat wave."

**...and then the lights went out.**


End file.
